In the middle of Hebrews 11:16 we read “God is not ashamed to be called their God.” That grabs my attention! Who is God talking about? I don’t want God to be ashamed of me and I’m sure you don’t either!
Hebrews 11 is the great “Faith Chapter” of the Bible, with many stories of men and women who exercised faith. If we back up to verse 13 we read, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises.” Are we content to live in faith and die in faith, knowing that what God has said He will do, even if it is long after we die? This is what marked the patriarchs.
Verse 13 says they saw the promises “afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims here on the earth.”
Sometimes we forget where we are headed. We forget that our “citizenship is in heaven.” Phil. 3:20. We become so settled here that we lose the longing to “see Him face to face.”
A couple of decades ago I heard a story from a missions’ leader who oversaw many teams in countries where it is illegal to preach the Gospel. One of the missionaries who had been sent to one of these countries told him, “I’m concerned that people will find out why we are here.” The leader responded, “I’m even more concerned they won’t find out!”
This simple truth applies to all of us who believe in Jesus! Do the people around us know why you and I are here on the earth? Do they know we are ambassadors of Jesus? Are our lives marked by the confession, “This world is not my home. I’m just passing through.”?
When someone is an ambassador to another country the people they interact with know where they are from and who they represent. You and I are ambassadors of Jesus and His kingdom. Let’s confess that!
